Anthony Lyon to open seafood and wine bar

Former Meraki general manager Anthony Lyon is opening a seafood and wine bar called Lyon’s in London’s Crouch End next month.

Opening on 11 October, Lyon’s will be a neighbourhood restaurant focusing on sustainable seafood from the British Isles and showcasing independent wine producers.

As well as overseeing the Greek restaurant in London’s Marylebone for the past year, Lyon previously worked as assistant general manager at Soho House’s White City House, and as general manager of Roka Charlotte Street in Fitzrovia, with Corbin & King and Hix Soho.

Head chef Talia Prince (who also previously worked as a demi chef de partie at the two-Michelin-starred Le Gavroche in London and chef de partie at Heston Blumenthal’s Fat Duck in Bray, Berkshire) will take the helm of the kitchen, working alongside sommelier consultant Kelvin McCabe, who is group head sommelier at Adam Handling Restaurants.

The glass-fronted space on Park Road will have 46 covers, as well as 16 bar and window seats for walk-ins. The building’s original Victorian tiles and fireplace have been restored, with green leather banquettes and dark wooden floors, an open kitchen and a white marble bar.

Lyon’s menus will be decided by the fresh catch of the day boats, with much of it cooked over charcoal. Dishes will include daily changing chilled and fire-roasted shellfish platters, whole roasted fish of the day to share, and a whole side of Var salmon with a mustard glaze. The menu will also offer Iberico pork secreto with black garlic; delica pumpkin satay; and barley risotto with celeriac, hazelnuts and bone marrow. Lyon’s will be working with Wright Brothers as oyster supplier.

The restaurant’s ethos will be to respect the whole fish, and make use of as many of the underused cuts and ‘offal’ parts as possible, which are commonly wasted, with a ‘fin to tail’ approach in dishes such as miso fish collars with seaweed butter, and scallop roe taramasalata with fish skin crisps.

The opening wine list will champion English Sparking wine Ambriel, from West Sussex as well as London urban winery Renegade, based in Bethnal Green, and sustainable, organic, biodynamic and minimal intervention wines.

A small list of four cocktails is also being developed, using small-batch producers such as An Dúlamán’s seaweed-infused Irish Maritime Gin and Oyester 44 oyster vodka. Designed to be paired with shellfish, a small selection of craft beers, including Ace Stout from London’s Wild Card Brewery, will also change regularly.